A Crow Flies Straight
by mistyblue814
Summary: Samcro was in a bit of a spin trying to work back to Jax's word. It was difficult for Happy to make the change, to leave behind his brothers. He was working away slowly at the new life, just as Andrea Westover had always been working at hers. (Takes place after the final season. I do not own Sons of Anarchy or any of its original characters).
1. Chapter 1

**CHAPTER ONE**

Andrea was on her way back from work. She didn't mind the changed shifts. She was usually up until this point anyway. She liked to sleep in, but she could do without a lot of sleep. Besides, with working from the hours of late evening until eleven thirty gave Andrea time during the day and she liked that. She didn't get the really busy caller time, but the meaning for the calls were the same. She worked as a 9-1-1 operator and no matter what hours she was on, she was always working and usually had the same type of calls every night. Car accidents, home or relationship abuse, the prank call or misdial…once in a while she would get something big, and even though she was trained how to handle those situations, it was always hard and always mentally demanding and it left Andrea in exhaustion, wanting to be in her comfy and safe bed that instant.

From the way home she also usually stopped in at the corner diner to get some coffee for the road and a muffin or cookie or at least something sweet. The job had its tolls and sometimes there was a personal chord that could strike for Andrea, but she pulled through. It was something that her boss had originally worried about when hiring her, but Andrea had gone through every call. Though there were times she needed to take breaks afterward and calm herself down, but she would make it. She needed to.

Going into the diner, Andrea saw the regular nightshift worker Danielle standing there. She gave Andrea a smile and asked her, "coffee, three sugars and two creams?"

Andrea gave the blonde server a smile and she went to sit at her usual spot. She was about to call over to her and ask about what they had left for deserts, but Danielle was already telling me as she got the coffee maker going, "we have some blueberry pie left if you would like it. Or some ice cream for a strawberry sundae."

Andrea smiled back to her and answered, "I think I'll take the pie."

Danielle nodded back to her and she went back to get the slice. Andrea looked around the old diner. There was almost no one here at this time of night except for maybe truckers who made their stops in the night. It was a lonely night. Andrea was the only one in and she liked it that way. She liked being alone, the calmness of it.

Sitting down, Andrea went searching in her purse and she took out this week's paper word game. She had gotten pretty good at them over the past couple of years. She tried to do one every week while she was here. Andrea was here practically every night just to take a calmed-down moment and eat something before going home to crash, but the word puzzles would work her mind and they would give her something to do. She always called them fun challenges.

Andrea took the one that she cut out from this week's paper and she looked the possibilities that she could answer. She figured that it was the simplest thing that she could do first before she would use the help of the letters to find the other words and fill the rest of the boxes.

She wasn't sitting very long, just writing down INK, a three letter word that you hold in a pen when Andrea heard a motorcycle coming to the dinner. She knew that he was going to come in because there were many times over the years that she would hear motorcycles pass. She knew the sound that they made when going past on the road. This sound was getting closer, coming to the doors of the diner.

After the sound of the motorcycle was gone, it was only a couple of seconds later before Andrea saw in the corner of her eye and heard the clicking sound of the door of a man coming inside. She looked up a little bit, her curiosity getting the better of her to look at the new individual. Over the past couple of years, she would come almost every night around the same time and she recognized the people who came in as well, even the ones that only came once every six months. She had never seen him before.

He was a solidly built man, like a rather large tree. His arms like a gorillas how they hung and swayed. He had tanned skin and though his head was bald and had tattoos on them, the bustles of his facial hair were white and grey. His eyes had a deep setting to them, like a black hole.

Andrea could tell he wasn't a regular because though he tried to seem like he belonged, but he was looking over the place like he was new, like he didn't know what they served, where to sit, the set-up of the place, or even where Danielle was. At this time Andrea knew that it was normal to have Danielle or the other waitresses at the back doing dishes or putting them away so that the set up was done for the workers in the morning so that they wouldn't have to go so early in the morning to set up.

Turning her eyes back down so that she wouldn't disturb him, she went to look at her word puzzle, going to the next one that she knew easily: KETTLE, a six letter word for an object to boil water in. She only looked up when she heard the light footsteps of Danielle as she came walking back. She was holding my piece of pie in hand and she looked at the new man who was still looking around for a place to sit. Andrea could tell that the other girl was startled, but she still gave the man a smile and told him, "I'll be with you in just a moment."

Andrea gave Danielle a smile when she placed the pie in front of her with a work. The waitress told her, "your coffee is almost ready."

"Thank you. Take your time." Andrea told her as she picked up the fork for her pie. She watched as Danielle walked over to the new man. Andrea could tell that the girl was a bit nervous going to a large man in a cut, but she did it. The older woman guessed that he was a member of a gang or a club and judging by the sound of him riding up on a motorcycle that it was a motorcycle gang. She thought that it was understandable that Danielle was scared of this large, tattooed man.

"Can I get you anything?" Andrea heard Danielle ask the man as she took out her notepad to write down his order.

"You make coffee?" his voice was rough and deep and it imitated a gravel road.

Andrea saw Danielle nod. To try and seem like she wasn't prying, Andrea looked down at her word puzzle, but she watched the interactions through the corner of her eye. She found him interesting, but Andrea didn't know why. She only saw what he looked like and heard him say three words, but he had caught her interest. Maybe it was because he was so different from the people who she usually saw or interacted with.

Danielle nodded and she told him, "We do. I'm brewing some right now. How do you take it?"

"Black," he answered.

Danielle wrote it down and she asked him, looking back up at him, "anything else?"

He thought for a moment and he asked, "what did she get?"

He looked over at Andrea and upon her mention, she looked up as well and looked up at him. When they stared at each other, even for those two seconds, Andrea saw his eyes and she felt that he was looking in her, like she was naked and it was an odd feeling that she had, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Just different. Looking at him in the eyes, she could see just how deep his eyes were. It was eerie but still in a calming sense.

Danielle looked back at Andrea and answered him, "blueberry pie. I also have apple pie left as well."

The man turned back to Danielle and he answered her, his voice still rough, "I'll get the blueberry too."

The waitress nodded and wrote that down as well before going to the back. Andrea went back to looking at the puzzle, trying to figure it out, though she was sure that his eyes were still on her. She tried not to let it bother her and bring her eyes up as well to meet his again.

It was only a couple of minutes later when Danielle came out with a tray in her hands. She walked over to where Happy was sitting first and she took the plate of pie from it first before she moved to set down his coffee that was steaming from the mug. Danielle gave him a smile as he thanked her before she moved towards Andrea. The waitress gave her the hot mug and Andrea looked up at her.

"Thank you, Danielle." Andrea told her.

"No problem. Having trouble finding any words?" Danielle asked as she looked down at the paper.

Andrea thought for a moment before she looked back up and asked her, "do you know a seven letter word for something that energizes electricity and can move still objects when turned on?"

Danielle thought for a moment and Andrea jumped a bit when she heard the man's rough voice speak to them, "it's a battery."

Andrea and Danielle looked over at him. He was drinking a gulp of his coffee before he set it back down, still not looking at them, "seven letters for what energizes electricity and makes things move, battery."

Andrea looked down at the paper and she nodded before writing it in. She told Danielle as she wrote down the letters, "you would have thought that I could have gotten that, huh?"

Danielle shrugged and she told Andrea, "holler if you need me. I just have to finish up the dishes."

Andrea nodded and gave her a smile goodbye before she went back to the paper.

After that, it was just silence. Andrea ate her pie and drank her coffee and did her word puzzle in silence as the other man sat in silence, not really looking at anything, just sitting and eating the pie and drinking his coffee. When he was done, he set the fork down and finished the last of the coffee before he took out his wallet and set down a twenty dollar bill. He stood back up and Andrea watched him without a second look walk out of the place. Soon, she heard the motorcycle start again and then slowly move away. Andrea was lost in shock. He didn't even need to ask for the receipt, he just took out the money without a second thought and left just as quickly and mysteriously as he came.

When Danielle came back out, she seemed a bit shocked that the man was gone. She turned to stare at Andrea and the older woman shrugged, "I'm just as surprised as you are."

Danielle placed the bill in her pocket and told her as she picked up the plate and mug, "at least he gave a really generous tip. This together was a bit more than five dollars."

Andrea nodded and Danielle looked back at her and told her in a shyer voice, "thank you for staying."

"He ever been in here before?" Andrea asked.

"Not that I know of. I've never seen him and I've never heard any of the staff members talk about someone like that coming in. I mean, I hear their motorcycles all the time at weird hours or normal ones. I don't think they have ever came in before though."

Andrea nodded and looked over at the front door and the windows before she said, "well, ask your boss if you can have someone else stay with shifts like this if these guys make regular visits and they come when I'm not here."

Danielle nodded and went to clean the dishes while Andrea sat there for the next twenty minutes, slowly working away at her pie and coffee as she finished the word puzzle.

It was strange indeed.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

It was almost a month later before Andrea saw Happy walk into the diner again. Andrea was having a later shift now, getting off an hour later or so than last time, but she started an hour later so it gave her more time for the day. She was lucky that the diner was open all night or else she didn't know if she would have been awake the rest of the way home.

This time, she was just finishing the word puzzle, drinking her coffee when she heard the motorcycle come up. Andrea gave the table a bit of a weird look and looked up at Tiffany, this week's waitress as she was cleaning the tables. Tiffany looked up when she saw the man stop in a parking spot and get off the bike.

Andrea didn't look up when the door opened, thinking that it would be rude. She also felt in the back of her mind that she knew who the biker was anyway. When she saw in the corner of her eye the solidly built man, she knew that she was right. She wondered if he came in again at a different time than when she would stay here, but according to the waitresses, he hadn't shown his face again until now.

In the corner of her eye, she saw him sit a little bit closer to her than the last time, but he didn't try and look at her purposely. She heard Tiffany walk up to him and ask, "what can I get you?"

"Black coffee. Do you have any pie left?" he asked, his voice just as low and gravel-like as the last time Andrea heard it.

"We only have apple left today." Tiffany answered him.

He nodded and I heard Tiffany go off to get what he wanted. Andrea took a drink of her coffee, staring at what she had left to answer. She had five left to go and she was stumped, looking over them over and over again to try and figure out the words. There were always those last bunch that took her a bit to answer.

Andrea sat in silence and so did the other man, but it made me jump when his voice cut through the silence, "you seem to be lost in thought."

Andrea turned up to look at him before she answered, laughing a bit from her fear, "Yeah. Five more to get, then I can head home."

He nodded and moved his head to look more at the sheet that she had in front of her. She raised her eyebrows and she pushed it a bit towards him, inviting him to come over. He seemed a bit surprised by her actions and Andrea forced herself not to smile. She didn't know she could make someone like him surprised.

The man came over and he sat down on the opposite end of the table Andrea was at. She looked back down at the paper and she asked him, "I'm trying to figure out number three vertical. A place in heart of sadness, the waves of rushing time and renounced and renew fictional time. Five letters."

Andrea saw him look down at the paper, reading it for himself. Both of them were quiet, trying to figure out the riddle. The man asked, "what letters do we have already?"

"Second letter is an A." Andrea answered.

He asked, "water? You cry and they say that water is like a rebirth."

Andrea nodded and wrote it down, "it seems to fit at least."

The man nodded and Andrea saw Tiffany come back out with the coffee and pie for him. She set it in front of him and he gave her a nod of thanks before he took a drink of the coffee. Andrea looked down at the next one that she was having trouble with. He looked at it as well after setting the steaming mug down. He told her, "the next one is book. A printed way of life in the way of telling a story."

Andrea almost kicked herself that she didn't get that one. She shook her head and wrote it in, "I'm actually embarrassed that I didn't get that one."

"I'm sure that you would have gotten it eventually," he assured her as he began to eat his pie.

Andrea looked down at the paper again, looking at the next one. She stared at it and she asked him, "you hold it in the palm of your hand and hold it over people. Five letters. It ends in an R."

He stared at it, still eating his pie, and Andrea could tell from the concentration in his eyes and how his lips were tight that he was thinking about what it could be. Andrea clicked the pen against the table as she thought. She held up her hand and made it look like she was holding a ball and she stared at it. His eyes adverted up to her and stared at her hand as well. Andrea let go of the pen and she took a drink of her coffee, finishing it before she set the mug down.

"You hold it in the palm of your hand and you hold it over people." Andrea whispered as she looked at her hand before she suddenly got excited, "power!"

She said it loudly and excitedly that immediately afterwards, she felt self-conscious and she put her hand over her mouth. She looked at him, a smile on her face only at herself as she mumbled, "I'm so sorry."

Andrea was surprised to see the smile on his face. It seemed a bit foreign and one that didn't seem like it came out that much, but it was there and it was kind of sweet. Andrea giggled a bit and he shook his head and told her, "it's fine. Makes sense and it fits well."

Andrea nodded and took the pen before writing down the word. She told him just as she finished, "two more to go."

She watched him eat the rest of his pie before he asked her, "what are the other two?"

She looked down at the paper and she told him, "it can be happy and it can be sad, it reflects your childhood and it it's the stories that you share. Six letters, ends in RY. The last one is something that the old with they had, what children wish they weren't. Five letters."

He thought for a moment and Andrea watched him before he answered, taking a large sip of his coffee, "the second on is young."

Andrea nodded and wrote it down, "that makes sense." She wasn't getting ones this easy. She wanted to kick herself.

After she put down the letters, she stared at the last one, trying to hope that something would go off in her head like before. She frowned and looked at the man sitting with her. She asked him as he drank more of his coffee, "any ideas?"

He shook his head, staring at the paper too. He suddenly stopped and asked, "memory?"

Andrea nodded and said, "you are good at these. I should have gotten that one too."

He shook his head, "nah, you got the rest .You're really good at these two. Takes another thinker of that time to try and finish it I guess. I probably wouldn't be able to get some of the ones that you could answer."

Andrea nodded and saw Tiffany coming to them. She gave the waitress a smile and Tiffany asked as she took the mug, "cheque?"

Andrea shook her head and she took out her wallet and put down five dollars, "this should be enough, right? Keep the change."

Tiffany smiled and told her, "thanks." She looked at the man's plate and asked, "are you done with that?"

He nodded and handed her the plate. She gave him a smile and asked, "refill for the coffee?"

He nodded and Tiffany told him that she would be right back. Andrea looked at the mysterious biker and told him, "I have to get going. It's getting pretty late. I don't want to sleep in too late tomorrow."

The biker nodded, "that sounds fair. Pretty early right now anyway."

Andrea saw him nod again as she got up and put on her coat. He watched her silently and Andrea grabbed her purse before she stood and stared down at him, both of them look each other. After a while, Andrea got back her wits and she gave him a small nervous smile, "I don't think I introduced myself. I'm Andrea by the way."

He nodded and told her, "Happy."

Andrea gave him a weird look, not really knowing how to take it that a person had a name such as 'Happy', especially since he had such a serious tone and attitude about him. She gave him a smile and told him, "maybe I will see you soon."

"Maybe." Happy answered.

Andrea gave him one last nod before she walked out, her heels clicking a bit against the floor as she left the diner. She made her way to her car and sat in the front seats for a few seconds before she finally started her car. She knew that she should be scared of him, a biker who had a menacing face, tattoos and dark eyes. The strange thing was though, she wasn't afraid.

Not at all.


	3. Chapter 3

**((hey guys, sorry it's taking me a long time to update. Super super busy right now (like this month alone I have 6 big projects due, as in over 20% of my final mark). Please be patient, tell me what you think! :D ))**

**CHAPTER THREE**

Andrea walked into the diner, a bit tired from the night. Sometimes nights were beyond busier than others. It was one of those nights. She gave up her fifteen minute brake and immediately once she was done a phone call, she went to someone who was on hold. It was hard calls too. Domestic Abuse, feared children, robbery, break ins. It was a long night. She knew getting caught in those crossfires was a part of the job, but some days it took its toll.

She parked and looked around and was surprised a bit to see that a familiar bike was parked. The last time she had seen it was a little more than a week ago. She did change up her schedule a bit. She got out of her shift an hour later than last time so she wondered if she would just miss him, or if he just came in whenever he was riding past and considering in the past two months, she has only seen him twice, she was sure that he didn't live around here, or at least he did but didn't leave his town.

Andrea looked in her mirror a bit more. She saw the bags under her eyes, the drain of her face that showed proof she had a rough night. Andrea sighed. She got out of her car before shutting and locking the door. She hitched up her purse on her shoulder before she entered the diner. Danielle, who was washing some tables looked up and gave Andrea a smile. Happy looked up as well. She could see him at a table with a newspaper, a pen in hand as it looked like he was drinking coffee.

When Danielle saw Andrea's face, her smile turned into a weak one with pity. She asked her as Andrea came to sit down at a table a bit away from Happy, who was still watching her, "rough night?"

Andrea nodded and ran a hand through her hair before she asked, "can I get a coffee to go? You have any of those blueberry crumble squares too?"

Danielle left the cleaning things on the table before she nodded, wiping her hands on the apron that she currently wore, "why don't you sit and calm down a bit, And?"

Andrea shrugged, "I don't know. Longer shift, I get off an hour later and a bad night on top of that. I kind of just want to go home."

Danielle nodded and told me, "if you change your mind just tell me."

Andrea watched Danielle go to the back to get her things. Andrea sighed and moved to put her hand in a ponytail before she moved to rest her head on her crossed arms that were on the table. She could still feel Happy's eyes on her and she murmured to him, "it's not polite to stare."

She heard a small snickered sound before he asked her, "you always seemed level headed before. It's just a change in act. I'm not used to it on you."

Andrea moved to look up at him and she shrugged before looking at the clock. She muttered, "Fuck it's late."

He grinned and she looked back at him and told him, "you beat me here for the first time."

That earned her another small smile before he took another gulp of his coffee. He told her, "I was kind of surprised to not see your car here. Even when I ride past I usually see your car around the same time."

Andrea shrugged and said, "my hours and shift changed a bit in the middle of last week."

He nodded and asked as he set his cup down, "what kind of job do you have that has you working so late?"

"I'm a 9-1-1 operator." Andrea answered.

He nodded and commented, "that can't be easy."

"No it's not, but some nights are better than others." Andrea answered.

Happy nodded and Danielle came back out with a plate and a coffee mug. Andrea scrunched up her nose as Danielle set the two in front of her. Andrea commented to her, "I want this to go."

Danielle shook her head, "Andrea I don't want you falling asleep at the wheel. You look too tired. At least just drink the coffee, okay?" I can get you a container for the square."

Danielle quickly left and Andrea knew it was so that she put her wrath on her. The brunette rolled her eyes and forced herself to drink some coffee, a look of annoyance highlighted on her face.

"You okay?" Happy asked, and it seemed to surprise Andrea that he actually sounded a little bit concerned.

She shook her head and grumbled a bit, "I hate it when people make me do things I don't want or tell me what to do like I don't know for myself what's best."

Andrea had to deal with it for years, both with her mother than with her friends and other family members and teachers when they found out what happened with her behind closed doors. It was filled with pity and it always made her feel like she was the lesser, that she didn't know what she needed or want and that was up to others to decide it.

"I know Danielle means well, but I hate it." Andrea told him.

Happy nodded in agreement, "I think everyone is like that, at least to a degree."

Andrea sighed and took another drink of the coffee. She held the cup before closing her eyes to try and relax. Happy seemed to take it as another sign. He asked her, "do you need someone to drive you home?"

Andrea shook her head, her eyes still closed. She told him, "I just need down time. I want to be at home by now. I have another bit of a drive ahead of me."

"How long?" Happy asked.

"Long enough." Andrea said, a hint of annoyance in her voice, "you're getting a bit too personal."

"I'm not going to apologize for it." Happy said.

"Then at least stop it." Andrea said pointedly.

Happy grunted and she took another drink of her coffee before opening her eyes. She looked at the square and she sighed before picking up her fork and she took a piece on the fork before she took a bite. She forced herself to calm down. She was stuck here and she hoped to at least calm down before going home. She knew she would still be drained like now when she got home, but at least it would keep her awake.

Andrea looked over at Happy before she looked over at the newspaper he was holding. She could see him concentrating on something and she raised her eyebrows a bit.

"You're doing a word puzzle?" Andrea asked, a hint of surprise in her tone.

He shrugged, still looking over the newspaper. He answered her, his voice still rough, "finally got ahold of a paper here, thought that I would try and finish one myself."

Andrea smiled a bit to herself and Happy grumbled to her, "you can wipe that smile off your face."

"Did you get inspired by me?" Andrea asked, a bit of teasing tone in her voice.

"You got me interested. Not the same thing." Happy said.

Andrea grinned a bit and shook her head before she took another piece of the square. Happy looked up at her after filling some spaces in before he told her, "you can join me if you want."

She smiled a bit, "I thought that you wanted to see if you could finish one yourself?"

"Just trying to hear you up." Happy said.

"You didn't seem like the person who cares that much about people you don't know." Andrea told him.

He shrugged, "you're right, but you're interesting."

Andrea took another sip of her coffee after commenting to him, "I don't know whether to take that as a compliment or not. Besides, I'm not exactly in the mood tonight. Too drained. I don't have time to stay and finish one. Once this coffee is done I'm going to hit the road."

Happy nodded and he looked up at me before asking, "are you sure that you don't want a ride home? I can drive you and get a brother to pick me back up."

Andrea chuckled and shook her head, "I work as a 9-1-1 operator. I know what happens after people fall for that."

Happy snickered a bit and gruffed out to her, "point taken."

Andrea nodded and ran a hand up her face before it went through her hair. She racked her hair a bit to give it slight volume and it was now a bit of a mess but she didn't care. She looked down at her mug and finished the last of it before she looked up for Danielle. Andrea sighed and decided that as she waited that she would eat the rest of her square, which was only a couple of bites anyway.

Happy kept looking at me and he asked me, "what is a six letter word for something that holds a refreshing and replenishing substance?"

Andrea raised her eyebrows and asked him after she swallowed the last piece of her square, "bottle?"

He stared at her and shook his head, "I'm not so good at these."

Andrea chuckled before she got out her purse and she left a ten dollar bill, covering her coffee and square as well as a large trip. Even though she was annoyed that Danielle did that to her, she knew the reasons why it was done. She brought her purse back over her shoulder and looked at Happy before Andrea told him, "see you whenever? Our small get togethers are rather amusing."

Happy looked up at her and grinned, "have to say that I agree. See you whenever."

Andrea gave him one last smile before she left again. In her car she stared out at Happy sitting in the diner for a couple of seconds before she sighed and shook her head, turning on her car before she drove out, heading home.

Was this guy getting under her skin?


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Andrea almost threw her phone away, but she knew that would only make the situation worse. She walked around her smoking car, holding her cell-phone up to try and get some reception to get a tow truck. So far she was getting no bars and it was making her frustrated. She ran a hand threw her hair. She was about two miles back from the diner. She could keep walking there and use their landline.

Andrea went into her vehicle that had thankfully stopped smoking but she was sure it wouldn't work and she didn't particularly want to test that out. She grabbed her purse and opened the trunk to get her flashlight so people could see her on the road and she could see the road. And she grabbed her pepper spray, just in case.

She sighed before shutting the door and locking it before she put her keys in her pocket. She turned and began to walk back towards the diner. She hoped that it wouldn't take too long. Andrea hated the dark. It was childish and it was an embarrassment that she had, a grown woman scared of the dark like a five year old. The flashlight that she had was very large to give out a lot of light and it was slightly heavy, but she wouldn't want to go without it. Not for a second.

She tried to hum to herself to calm down her nerves as she looked around, using the flashlight as a guide even though most of the streetlamp lights were working and they were on.

She felt her heels clicking against the pavement and she made a mental note to buy more flat shoes.

About a mile down the road, she heard the sound of motorcycles. She gulped, but also for whatever reason felt comforted. She knew one man who rode motorcycles, but she knew that he could not be there and there was definitely a group of bikes coming down the road, going towards her. She just hoped that they would either go past her and not bother her or would help her.

Call it stereotyping, but she was wary of men on motorcycles.

Soon enough, the echoes turned into headlights and although they were far down the road, she knew they would come up to her sooner or later. She took in a deep breath, still walking as she saw them almost clearly in the headlights. Perhaps they saw her or the flashlight, but they slowed down a bit when seeing her. Her heart began pumping in her chest. Would they help her or attack her?

She stopped below a streetlight and the bikes slowed down to a stop. She stopped a bit as well, getting prepared if she needed her fight or flight response. She saw in the light one look over at her and she almost smiled when she saw him.

"What are you doing out here Andrea?" Happy asked her, the gruff and rough voice was almost heavenly and it helped to calm her heart rate.

"You know her?" another man asked. She looked over at him and saw the next guy on the bike wearing a helmet but she could see the large mat of curly black hair sprouting out of it like an overcrowded weed garden.

Happy looked over her shoulder at him and nodded. In the dark she could see a heavier set man and she could see the scars on his cheeks. A Glasgow Smile. She knew about that in her work. Andrea looked at Happy and she answered him, "my car was on fire and smoking. Couldn't get reception so I thought of walking back to the diner."

Happy told her, "that wasn't a good idea. These streets aren't safe in a car."

"I couldn't stay there." Andrea answered him.

She could see something flash in his eyes and he nodded, "how far back are you?"

"About a mile." Andrea answered.

"We work at a auto repair company in Charming. We can get ya a tow," the one with the scars said. So he was Scottish. Andrea couldn't particularly tell with the scars if he was English or Scottish.

Andrea looked down a little bit embarrassed, "if you wouldn't mind."

"We're ride to Charming and come back to ya. Still on this street right. We'll probably go past it on our way." The Scottish one said.

Andrea nodded and Happy told them, "I'll stay with her. Get her back to her truck."

The tow nodded and Andrea heard them rev up the engines again before they rode off quickly, or maybe it just looked like it was quickly in comparison. Their bikes echoed again and Andrea turned to look at Happy, "you really didn't have to stay. I could walk back by myself." Andrea looked down and turned off the flashlight. Happy shook his head and he answered her, "it's not a problem." He moved behind him and took out a helmet and held it in front of her. Andrea looked at it and shook her head. She told him nervously, "I don't know…I'm…I'm not to comfortable on a bike."

"All you'd have to do is hold on tight to me or the bike." Happy answered, "and if it's only a mile down the road it wouldn't be too long."

Andrea stared at the helmet and the bike again, swaying a little bit from nervousness before she nodded and took the helmet. She was glad that she normally didn't wear skirts or dresses or else she definitely would have said no. She put the flashlight into her purse before she moved to put her helmet on. Happy held out his hand and she gave him the purse before she saw him put it in one of the bike bags so that she wouldn't lose it or any of its contents. Andrea carefully got on the back of the bike, a bit awkward and not knowing how to sit or where to put her feet or anything. Happy looked over his shoulder athere and said, "you can wrap your arms around me or you can hold tightly to the bars beside you. I won't go too fast."

"You can tell I'm nervous?" Andrea asked a bit sarcastically.

He grinned and Andrea moved to hold onto the bars. She knew she would feel a while lot worse about awkwardness if she clung to his back. When Happy saw her take the bars, he reved the engine a bit and Andrea braced herself for when he left.

Truthfully, it wasn't as bad as she thought that it was. It even felt a bit nice. She looked out beside her and in front of her as he rode, her hair flying behind her. It felt nice. It even felt calming and fun. She had a small smile on her face. She could definitely tell that he wasn't going too fast. She was sure she had gone faster in her car, but she was glad that they were going slower for her first time.

She soon saw her car and felt the bike slow down. Happy didn't pull over until in front of her truck. Once the bike was completely off, Andrea carefully got off, her legs a little bit wobbly. He grinned and told her, "see, wasn't so bad."

"You went slow though," Andrea told him as she began to take off the helmet.

He shrugged and got off the bike as well, going to his bag and getting out her purse. She gave him a small smile before taking the purse and giving him the helmet. Happy asked her, "can you hand me your flashlight?"

She went through her purse as he walked up to the hood of her truck and opened it. She got the flashlight out and turned it on as Happy set up the hood. He took the flashlight and looked into it. He asked her, "what happened?"

"There was a loud grumbling sound and then the front of the car was smoking dark grey and black. I got out and looked out and saw there was light under the hood. I turned off the car and went to the other side of the road, tried calling a tow truck." Andrea explained.

"Cell service out here is terrible." Happy commented as he looked around the hood, "I think your engine and wires overheated. Fire sounds a bit dangerous, but something might be leaking in here too. Can't really see with just a flashlight." Happy answered, "but the good thing was the stop the car and turn it off. And good thing you didn't open the hood. You wouldn't believe how many stupid people had done that. Most of them would get burns."

Andrea nodded and she looked around, "you didn't have to stop. Or get a tow for me."

"Isn't a problem. They'll be fast. Tig has a bit of a heavy foot." Happy joked before he shut the hood, "I can still feel the heat."

Andrea nodded and she moved to open the truck door and the light went on. She sat on the drivers seat sideways so she could still talk to him, "seriously though, you didn't need to."

He shook his head, "aren't you usually back home by now. It's almost one." Happy said.

Andrea hadn't seen him for a couple of weeks. Things changed a bit. She got off earlier, had to go in earlier. Andrea shrugged and said, "gave me new hours. I just came from the diner. Didn't get too far as you know."

He nodded and she crossed her legs.

"You work as a 9-1-1 officer right?" he asked, trying to make conversation.

Andrea nodded, "yeah."

"Sounds like a tough job." Happy commented.

"You wouldn't imagine. Prank calls are rare. Never had one on me, or a misdial. You deal with a lot of heavy stuff with that job."

"Then why did you decide to do it?"

Andrea sighed and shrugged, "personal reasons, personal motives."

He nodded and she was glad that he didn't press on that. She wasn't particularly in the mood to reveal something so personal about her past to someone that she barely knew. Although it was weird. They had barely seen each other and she felt safe around him, another paradox because he was in a motorcycle gang.

"Would you be alright if I just took you home on the bike as the guys took your truck? You can give me your number and I'll take a look at it tomorrow. When do you start work?" Happy asked.

"Six." Andrea answered.

He nodded, "I'll try and get it working by then. If not then I'll pick you up in a truck and drive you to work. That sound fair?"

"Seriously, you don't need to do that." Andrea told him.

"It'll be fine. A taxi would cost you a lot I'm guessing. Where do you live?" Happy asked her.

"Bay Point." Andrea answered.

He nodded, "not too far from Charming, but you work far away from where you live."

"Just how the cookie crumbles I guess. I liked my little neighbourhood. And since my boss requested me he will help pay for my gas."

"Your resume is that good?"

"That good."

Andrea gave him a small grin and he smiled as well, "Bay Point is on my way to Charming. I'm fine giving you a lift home tonight. Does that plan work for you?"

Andrea sighed before she nodded. She caved, but it was the better deal. She trusted Happy to know what he was doing. She told him, "yeah…thank you so much. I don't want to be a bother."

"It wouldn't be a bother. Don't worry about that." Happy promised.

Andrea gave him a smile and she leaned against the seat a bit. Trying to make small talk, she said after minutes of silence, "so…the Sons of Anarchy."

He grinned a bit and nodded, "the Sons of Anarchy."

"How long have you been in the gang?"

"We're a club."

"Crap, sorry. I'll try and debrief myself on the terminology."

He chuckled, "Since I was twenty-one."

Andrea nodded again and yawned a bit.

"Tired?" Happy asked.

Andrea nodded again, "kind of in the mood for my bed."

Happy chuckled and Andrea soon heard a truck coming down the road. Happy chuckled, "I'm going to bet that's them."

"That was fast."

Happy shrugged and soon enough, Andrea saw the tow truck pull up. When the doors opened, she saw the familiar faces of the two men on the bikes from before. Happy looked at me and asked, "do you want to head out now?"

Andrea looked over at the men and she nodded, "yeah sure."

Happy turned and called out to the guys, "can you take her truck? I'm going to drive her home."

"Yeah, man. Sure." The curly haired one said. Even in the dark Andrea could see just how wild his hair was. It made her smile a bit.

Happy looked at Andrea, "you ready to go?"

"Can you take my purse again?" she asked.

He nodded and held out his hand. Andrea gave him the purse and he put it in his bag before handing Andrea the helmet again. Andrea was beginning to put it on as Happy moved his bike a little bit away so that the other two could prepare the tow truck and put it into position.

Happy got on the bike and he looked over his shoulder to wait for her. Carefully, Andrea got on it again and she held tightly to the bars again. Happy nodded to the guys in the truck, who nodded back to them. After, Happy pressed forward and they rode, this time going the speed limit. The speed made Andrea a bit nervous to get used to, but when she did she found the trip just as peaceful as the first one had been.

The ride was still a lot longer, but soon, after going down the highway, she saw the lights and signs to turn off into Bay Point. Once off the highway, Happy slowed a little and yelled back so that Andrea could hear him, "where do I go?"

"Keep going straight. Three streets down turn left and keep going until you see a small grey bricked house." Andrea yelled back.

Happy sped up a little again, going in the direction that she told him. The place was more peaceful than the highway. He slowed down after seeing the house and he pulled into her driveway. Andrea looked up and immediately saw her dog, Nala, in the front window. At the sight of the unfamiliar motorcycle, she began to park and sit up on the windowsill.

Andrea smiled a bit and Happy kept the bike on, but the roar was at a much lower volume. Andrea moved off the bike and took off the helmet. She looked at the window and when the dog noticed it was her, she stopped barking and began to whine excitedly. Andrea grinned and Happy asked her as he began to get her purse out for her, "what kind of breed is that?"

"A Kooikerhondji." Andrea answered.

"Kinda girly." Happy commented.

"Kinda cute. She loves to cuddle." Andrea grinned a bit and took her purse from him when he held it out to her, "Thank you again for the ride and for the tow."

"Like I said, no problem." Happy told her before he gestured to the dog, "you better go in before that thing dies of disappointment."

Andrea couldn't help but giggle. She went through her purse and got out a piece of paper and a pen before writing down her home and cell number, "here's how to reach me."

"I'll be sure to contact you before you need to go to work." Happy told her.

Andrea nodded and she gave him one more smile before she walked back up to the house. She unlocked the door and heard Nala whining at the other side. She gave Happy one more wave and he gave her a nod. She didn't hear him leave until she was in the house and put her light on. Nala instantly attacked her and Andrea leaned down to hug her and so the dog could lick her cheek. Afterwards, she looked around and saw her twin cats, a fluffy orange cat Monty and a light grey and white fluffy cat named Minnie. She gave both cats some strokes of their hair before she turned around and locked the door again.

With her animals following her, Andrea made her way to her bedroom. She was going to admit it to at least herself that somehow, she was hoping that Happy wouldn't have her car done on time so that she would be able to see him again.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE**

Andrea woke up around noon. She was tangled in her sheets with Nala laying beside her, her head rested against her other pillow. Andrea could not help but giggle at her dog. The dog instantly woke up and moved to lick Andrea's face excitedly. Andrea laughed and pulled away, patting the dog's head. She looked down and saw her two cats on the floor beside her, looking up at her now as well from being woken up.

She smiled and leaned down to pet each cat before looking over her shoulder, the dog moving closer and leaning against her back, looking up at her with guilty eyes. Andrea smiled and patted her head a couple of times before she forced herself out of the covers. The bed was heavenly and she wanted to stay in, but she had a lot to do. She had to clean the house and do the gardening. She didn't have too long before going to work again.

But first she was starving. She needed something to eat.

Andrea walked out of her room, as she walked past the mirror on her dresser she looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was a little messy and she began to brush the hair with her fingers as she made her way to the washroom. The brunette went to the washroom and she shut the door behind her. She could already hear Nala whining at the other side of the door, wishing that she could be in the room as well.

After quickly going to the washroom, Andrea turned on the water and undressed herself as she waited for the water to get warm. She looked at herself in the mirror and saw the scar at the shoulder going onto her back. She frowned a bit and hugged herself, her hands on her shoulder as she turned a little and still looked in the mirror. She saw the ugly scars across her back and on her hips and partly on her stomach. The burn scars. Andrea told herself again, the same as every time she noticed the scars again:

She was close to saving up the money for surgery.

She was close and soon, there would be no scars, no lasting memories, just as she had done with her face.

Andrea forced herself from the mirror, not wanting those memories to come back. Andrea turned and looked at the shower before she moved to feel the water. It was hot enough for her and she turned it onto the showerhead mode. She moved behind the certain before getting into the shower, letting herself stand in the water. It was slow, but soon all of her hair was wet and the warm water rushed along her body. Andrea took in a deep breath and relaxed as she washed her hair and body before shutting off the water and drying herself off.

The brunette had her hair wrapped around in a towel while another was wrapped around her body. She moved out of the bathroom with her dirty clothes in hand from the night before and she put them in her dirty laundry basket, her dog now following her close to her feet, the cats too, but for different reasons. She knew that Nala was sucking up to her for attention while Minnie and Monty did it because they were hungry.

Reaching for her hairbrush after she put her clothes away, she heard the phone go off and she walked to the side of her bed. She picked up the phone and saw an unknown number, but she decided to pick it up anyway, keeping Happy Lowman and his promise to try and fix her car in time before she went to work. She looked at her clock as she sat on her bed and answered the phone, "hello?"

It was almost one. She figured that she should start eating something soon so that she wouldn't have weird hunger patterns at work for the night.

She heard a gruff voice and knew who it was immediately. She almost smiled when she heard Happy answer, "hey, it's me."

"I figured. No one calls me." Andrea answered as she got up off the bed and walked to the kitchen, her pets following her. Andrea looked around the kitchen, thinking of things that she could make for lunch…or breakfast. Cereal sounded fine. Apple Cinnamon Cheerios.

As Andrea went to grab a bowl Happy told her over the phone, "well I was calling to give you an update about your truck. I didn't know when you would be awake. I didn't wake you did I?"

"No, I've been up for almost an hour." Andrea answered him as she went on the search for the cereal box.

"Good good….," Happy answered.

There was silence afterwards and Andrea prodded him as she grabbed the box of cereal, "my truck…"

"Oh yes…sorry. I had a chance to look at it this morning. And I'm suspecting that you have a heavy foot." Happy commented.

Andrea made a weird facial expression to show how she was feeling as she began to pour some Cheerios into the bowl, "what?"

"You managed to completely overheat your truck. The valves are worn, the engine overheated that it started an oil fire under the hood, and your battery was near close to explosion as well, or at least starting a fire from overheating. I found a short circuit that led to the battery overheating, and the engine had problem with the wires as well as oil leaking into the exhaust system." Happy explained.

Andrea nodded and commented as she went to the fridge to get the milk, "so, I'm assuming that I won't be getting my car back today."

"No. The engine stuff I'm working on right now. I should be able to get that done, but I'm going to have to get a new car battery. I'm surprised that you actually weren't hurt. I'm thinking that it's the best to get a new battery as well as rewiring the truck to make sure that it doesn't overheat like it did again." Happy told her.

Nodding, Andrea poured the milk onto her cereal in the bowl, "sounds good to me. How much is that?"

She wasn't exactly pressed for cash, but she still spent wisely and carefully.

"It'll be on the house." Happy answered.

"No seriously it's okay." Andrea told him, "I'll pay for it."

"Like I said, it's on the house. You're a friend of the mechanic. I can pull a few strings. And it's not like any of the others here haven't done it and it's been more expensive."

Andrea shook her head, "I wouldn't feel right about it."

"If it bothers you so much, I'll send you the bill." Happy said, "but you don't need to pay for it."

She didn't know for sure if she would win this fight, so Andrea just decided to leave it as is. After a couple of seconds, Happy asked her, "when do you have to be at work again?"

"Six tonight." Andrea answered.

"I'll pick you up at 5:30. That should leave enough time to get you to work." Happy suggested.

"Happy I can take a taxi." Andrea told him.

"That would cost a fortune." Happy told her.

"I know but…" Andrea sighed, "I'm not going to win this am I?"

She heard him laugh on the other end, "probably not."

Andrea chuckled and went to get a spoon, looking down at their pets who were staring patiently at her. She looked up at the clock and sighed before she told him, "alright then. If you are picking me up though then can you bring a vehicle. I still need to look presentable for work and I don't know if that will stay intact on a motorcycle."

"Sounds fair. I have a couple of trucks here." Happy answered, "I'll pick you up at five thirty."

"Okay. Thank you again, Happy."

"Don't mention it."

She hung up first and she looked at her dog and cats. She set the phone down and went to the back of the house to the laundry room where there was also the cat and dog food. Nala began to jump around in excitement while Minnie and Monty were meowing loudly with anticipation. She shook her head and with a small cup cull of each type of food, she went with the two cups to first her dog's dish and she put in the dry noodles before going to her cat's dish and putting food in each of them. She put the cups back in the dog and cat food bags before washing her hands and going to her cereal. As she began to eat it, she leaned against the counter and looked down, frowning, "I should get some clothes on."

Andrea was reading her book at the front of her house, looking out the window from time to time as she waited for Happy. When she saw a black flatbed roll into her driveway, Nala immediately began barking and her front paws went on the windowsill to make herself bigger. For a small dog she had a deep bark. Andrea shut her book before she went over to the front door. She put on her shoes and as she was about to leave the house, she heard a knock at the door. Opening it, she saw Happy standing there and she gave him a smile.

"Wow, you look different in the day." Andrea joked.

He shook his head and asked in the rough voice, "do you have everything?"

She nodded and answered him, "yeah, I think that I'm all ready."

Nala was trying to get through her feet, barking at the new man at the door. Andrea turned a bit and told her, "Nala hush!"

Happy nodded and Andrea patted the dog's head, "I'll see you tonight. Keep the cats safe."

Andrea carefully got outside beside Happy and she shut the door, taking out her keys and locking it. She turned to Happy and gave him a small smile.

"Thank you for this, again. Really you didn't have to." Andrea told him.

He shrugged and began to walk back to the truck. Andrea followed him and she went into the passenger side. She opened the door and got up onto the seat. Andrea shut her door and Happy got in as well, starting up the flatbed again as he shut the door. She put on my seatbelt and relaxed into the seat. Andrea looked over at Happy and he asked her as he backed out of the driveway, "when do you get off work?"

Andrea rolled her eyes and she shook her head, "you don't have to do this."

"How else are you going to get home?" Happy asked her as he began to drive out of Bay Point and onto the highway.

Andrea shrugged and told him, "I don't know." It felt weird that someone she barely knew was being this nice to her. It felt weird that she felt so comfortable with a biker. With her history of her father she knew that it was even weirder to trust him, but she did. She knew that he wouldn't hurt her. If he wanted to he would have done it already because he had many easy times to do so where no one was watching. She knew he wasn't going to harm her and she felt as though she was on his side, that if something were going to happen to her then he would help her, or at least try to.

Andrea sighed and ran a hand through her hair. He did have one point. How would she get home if she didn't have her truck or he didn't pick her up? Andrea answered him in defeat, "one in the morning."

"I'll pick you up and take you home." Happy told her, "tomorrow I'll hopefully have that battery and you'll be able to get your truck."

Nodding, Andrea looked out her window and she asked him, "do you always help people that you barely know and have only met a couple of times at a diner?"

She heard his rough chuckle and she didn't need to see his face to picture the smile on it, "No. But you're interesting. I like you."

A small smile was brought to her face. She didn't have many friends. She heard him ask, "now, you're going to have to tell me how to get to your workplace."

**{Hi everyone! I'm sorry about the delay. I've hit a bit of writers block on a couple of my stories. I'm getting ideas on how to connect my events and stuff (things that I'm having great trouble with my other fan-fictions). Please tell me what you think. I'm sorry the chapter isn't too exciting :( I'm trying to get back into it}**


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER SIX**

At one-thirty in the morning, Andrea walked out of her workplace and into the parking lot. After looking around a bit just out of the door, she saw Happy already in the same truck he took her to work in waiting for her. Even though it was dark, the brunette could see him in the car turn his head up to look at the door when he saw it open. Andrea walked over to him and when he unlocked the doors, the light in the truck went on and she could see him more clearly.

Andrea opened the door after hitching her purse better over my shoulder, which she knew was pointless because she would take it off once she was in her seat and set it on her lap. Andrea carefully heaved herself up into the truck before sitting in the seat and shutting the door behind her. Happy watched her in case she had any trouble before he started the truck. During that time, Andrea took off her purse and set it by her feet before putting on her seatbelt and grabbing her purse again.

Happy began to drive out of the parking lot after Andrea got settled and comfortable in her seat. She told him as he began to get onto the road, "thanks again for picking me up and taking me to work. I really appreciate it."

"Like I said, no problem." Happy told her as he looked over at her for a moment before looking back out on the road.

"No really. It's super late and it's a drive back…I really mean it thank you." Andrea told him as she looked over at him.

Happy nodded and he turned the corner that would get him onto the highway. Andrea took a notice that he didn't even seem tired about being up this late and driving. Perhaps while she was at work he went back and slept for a couple of hours before he moved to pick her back up again. She wished she could have done that. She was exhausted and couldn't wait to get into her bed.

Andrea moved to lean her head against the window. It wasn't a long car ride back home, but it was enough for her to wish it came sooner.

Happy looked over at her and he told her before focusing on the road again, "I ordered your car part today, so it should be in by tomorrow and by the time you have to go to work I should have everything working again. I can drop it off at your house hopefully. When do you work tomorrow?"

"Same time." I answered.

"That should give me enough time. If not I'll pick you up again." Happy told her.

Andrea nodded, "thank you…is there any way that I can pay you back for that."

After thinking about what she has said, she realized that maybe she shouldn't have put it exactly into those words. She didn't want to be doing anything she didn't want to do. She didn't know Happy enough to actually know if he would take advantage of her, but she also had in mind that if she had a bad feeling about Happy that she wouldn't be in this truck with him right now.

She explained, "like, I can pay you for the gas money and everything. That won't be a problem."

He shook his head, "it's fine."

Andrea sighed and admitted to him: "I…I just feel a little bad that you are doing all of these things for me."

He shook his head and looked over at her again before he answered her, "really, Andrea, I don't mind. You had bad luck with your truck and I just want to help."

Andrea almost thought that was weird. Maybe she was stereotyping with the idea of bikers or perhaps it was because he always seemed to have the face that he was mad, but she didn't see him as the helping-hand-type. She wondered why he was doing this. It was an awful lot of extra work for him.

She sighed and looked out the window again. He asked her, trying to make conversation as they drove: "you got any family? Anyone else who could take you if you feel so bad about me taking ya?"

So maybe he was looking for a way out. Was it his conscience to help her? He didn't seem like the person who would take it into mind too much.

The brunette shook her head and she answered him, "No. None."

"No siblings? Parents?" he asked. Andrea didn't know if he was trying to make conversation anymore or if he was trying to pry a bit into her life. Either way, she had these questions asked to her before and she knew the answers. They came out of her mouth without thinking of it.

"Only child," she answered.

"Parents?"

"Dead."

It was only a little lie. And it was only a lie that depended on the person's point of view.

But to Andrea they both were dead.

"I'm sorry to hear that." Happy told her.

Andrea shrugged. She wanted to say that it was for the best, because it was but she didn't want to get into that conversation. She didn't want to tell this man, who although is doing her a big favour, the secrets that she had locked up in her basement. She didn't like telling people about what happened, much less a stranger.

"It's okay. I came to terms with it a long time ago." Andrea answered, not having showing emotions about how she really felt about the situation.

Happy nodded and changed lanes, still going forward. He was a fast driver and it made her wonder about how he could comment about her 'heavy foot'.

"When did they die?" Happy asked.

"A couple of weeks apart. I was fifteen." I shrugged.

Happy could tell that she wanted off the subject. His curiosity got the better of him and he could tell that he overstepped himself onto her territory. It should have stopped when she told him her parents were dead. She didn't need to go into details.

Happy told her, "sorry."

"It's okay." Andrea answered simply.

He could tell that it wasn't but he didn't want to press her on that either. To try and make her feel better, he realized that he would have to share something about himself so that both of them were left a little exposed.

"I was an only child too. Dad left my mom when I was young. Just my ma and my aunt now. And they live in Bakersfield." Happy answered.

Andrea nodded. She knew where Bakersfield was. She grew up there. That was where the incident happened. She wondered if she ever saw him before a couple of months ago. She doubted that they went to school together. He was far older than her by twenty years. But maybe when her and her mother were going shopping. Maybe we passed each other walking. It was almost weird to think about that. She thought that maybe her mother knew him. Maybe her father did. Perhaps she even knew his family.

"I grew up there," Andrea admitted to him, "what's your mother and aunt's names?"

He seemed surprised by her comment. He looked over and looked at her and began to think of the same things. Did he know her? Maybe not know her but perhaps seen her around. Although, when she was just a child he was sure that he would have already left to become a Son. He might never have seen her.

"Graciela and Marcela Lowman." Happy answered.

Andrea thought for a moment. She looked outside, thinking back to her childhood. Graciela Lowman. That sounded familiar. She couldn't remember a Marcela, but Graciela. That sprung something in her mind that she couldn't remember. Perhaps she did know the woman, just didn't have any special memories with her. Maybe they saw each other a lot at the grocery store or when she was walking home from school. Maybe she new a Graciela Lowman then, but she didn't know one now. She couldn't put a name to a face. Even if Andrea narrowed the idea of faces to one of Mexican origin. It still didn't sink in.

"That give you anything?" Happy asked her.

Andrea shrugged, "your mother's name sounds familiar. I don't know where from but I know the name from someplace."

Happy nodded. He asked her, trying to keep up with the conversation as he drove down the highway, "what were your parents names?"

"Michael and Lisa Bolden." Andrea answered. She took after her mother's name, not wanting to be connected to Michael Bolden in anyway more than necessary.

That name did spark something in Happy's mind. His mother always talked to his aunt about a Lisa Bolden. Sometimes they mentioned a Michael, but they definitely knew a Lisa. He remembers how they talked about her sadly, how they pitied her in some way that he cannot remember. He remembers them talking about a young girl they had. A sweet little girl. They pitied her too, felt sorry for her. He remembers about how they talked about how she dressed. How she was dirty…or grimy. Something like that. It was vague but he remembered that they would talk about this family a lot, never really talking to him about it. It was just stuff he would overhear.

He nodded and Andrea suddenly felt a sense of panic. Did he know? She shouldn't have answered and she felt that right then. A sense of danger and Happy could feel it. She wanted to flee the vehicle. She almost preferred to walk home than be with a person who knew her parents and knew what they did. The sins her childhood held behind those little house walls. She hoped that the visit would end soon and that she would get her truck back as soon as possible too. She felt like a rabbit that got caught in a cage.

Happy could feel her get tense and he asked her, hoping to make her comfortable again, "do you want to stop at the diner. We will be going past it in about fifteen minutes. Or is it too late for you?"

Andrea thought about it. Although a good brownie would calm her down she didn't want to be with him more than she had to now. She didn't want to expose herself more than she already had.

"No thanks. I'm a little tired," Andrea answered weakly.

Happy nodded, hoping to steer the conversation. His mind raced about how to make her comfortable again. He didn't know why he was so bendable for this girl, but he wanted to make her comfortable .She trusted him to take her home and to work and keep her safe…or at least be nice with her. He didn't even know why he did it now that he thought about it. But he never met someone who intrigued him like she did. And he found it easy to get along with her. She was relaxed and she was levelled. Lowly levelled but levelled all the same. But he was thinking that he could be doing the opposite to her when he was around, at least now he was.

Remembering parts of Bakersfield, he asked her, trying to steer the conversation, "do you remember that small candy and ice-cream shop? It was at a corner of a street, just down the road from the park."

Andrea smiled a little bit. She did remember that. Her mother would always give her a little bit of money so that on her way home she could stop in and get some ice-cream. The old couple that worked there were nice. It didn't get too much money, but it got enough from kids. The couple were black, which was enough to set some parents off, but not Andrea's. At least not her mother. But most parents would let it slide. After all, it was the only candy shop or place to get ice-cream or sundaes. They were always nice to Andrea and knew her order before she came into the doorway after greeting her with a large smile. They soon came to know Andrea so well that when it was her birthday that they would give her another scoop of ice-cream for free. It went on like that for almost four years when she was in public school before things got worse at home and her mother could just barely feed her lunch, let alone sweets. By grade six the ice-cream became a special treat until the owners decided to sell their business and retire and the place became a fifties diner.

Andrea answered, nodding a little, the small smile still on her face, "yeah. Every day after school when I was a kid I would go past and get their Cotton Candy ice-cream. After the first year they put sprinkles on it for free."

Happy grinned a bit before he nodded. The couple died about five years ago. Lived to a good and old age together. He was sure that the wife died first, than the husband but he couldn't be sure. He knew his mother would know. She was best friends with the wife.

"Did you ever try their candy apples? The wife always made the texture herself." Happy asked.

She shook her head, "wasn't really a candy apple person. I don't think I've ever had one actually."

She yawned and Happy looked over at her in and shook his head, "those were my teenage sweet tooth treats."

"I could imagine." Andrea said, her fears about Happy slowly leaving her both with the talk and the fact that she was getting tired. Happy seemed to notice. Andrea didn't want to fall asleep then. Although she was sure to trust Happy, she didn't want to take her chances in the end. But then her mind set in and thought logically. If Happy wanted to hurt her, he would have already. When her car broke down and he stayed with her and was forced to rely on him, he didn't hurt her even though that would have been the perfect time.

"You can sleep if you want." He could guess that she would be tired. She was the one who worked at night. Even though she slept in the day, the night still came as a drain. And she was working, it wasn't as if it was just her staying up.

Andrea shook her head. Her stubbornness getting to her. They still had about an hour ride home. She would try and stay up. Maybe not engage in anything but she would just stay up. Happy nodded, letting it go. He knew that he would like the silence too. He asked her, "what kind of music do you listen to?"

"Rock." She answered.

He nodded and switched the station from the news to a station that played rock music and turned up the music a little bit so that you could hear it, but it wasn't loud or intruding. Andrea tried to focus on it the rest of the ride. Both her and Happy were silent. And even though she was sure she couldn't stay awake until she got home, she did. But she barely got out of her clothes before falling on her bed. And Happy was still silence the rest of the way back to Charming.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

Andrea was sitting in her backyard when she heard the phone ringing. She got up and turned off her IPod before going inside, her older jeans were now dirty and grass stained from kneeling in the grass and moving around the soil of her garden to add some extra flowers and take out weeds. Her hands were not that much better. And neither was her old shirt. There was even some dirt on her cheeks and chin. She was sure her hair would be dirty too if she didn't put it into a ponytail. It didn't help though that it was so hot, although it was always hot in California, today was a record breaker. Andrea had practically sweated off most of her sunscreen being in the pants and t-shirt. She almost let herself wear a tank top to save herself from heat stroke but she knew that her burns would be clearly seen on her shoulders and upper back and she quickly decided against it. And she knew that she could wear shorts, but that it would make her skin dirty, which would result in having a longer shower before work because she would have to scrum the dirt and grass stains off.

The brunette felt her dog slip past her legs as she opened the door before hearing the clicking of her nails on the hardwood floor as she excitedly went inside. Andrea shook her head at her dog, grinning a little before wiping her bare feet on the mat so that she wouldn't track in as much dirt. She walked to her living room and took the phone off of the hook. She saw the call display tell her 'TM Auto…' before it ran out of space.

Happy. With her truck presumably.

She turned the green button and put the phone to her ear before greeting Happy, "hey."

"Hey." his rough voice gruffed out.

She turned and saw my cats sleeping by the window in the sunlight, happy as they could be. Andrea could even hear their purs as they took in the warmth of the sun. It brought a smile to Andrea's face before Happy started to talk to her again over the phone.

"I got your truck all fixed. I can bring it up now so you will have it before going to work." Happy said.

Andrea looked over at the clock. that was on the wall of the other side of the room. It was only one o'clock. She knew that she still had some time before I had to go to work. Or even start to get ready for it. And it would make her feel better to know that she wouldn't be waiting n anyone to take her to work, or that no one would be waiting on her in her driveway. That way she could leave whenever she wanted. Plus, driving home then she would be able to stop at the diner if she wanted.

"That sounds great. Bring it over anytime." Andrea answered him.

"Great. I'll be leaving shortly. If it gives you any more problems then just call me. I'll take a look at it again. I gave it one more look over this morning to see if there was anything else that needs looked at or fixed. Nothing that I saw." Happy explained.

"Great! Just like new." Andrea said as she moved to the kitchen to get herself a glass of water.

He chuckled, "sort of."

Andrea smiled as she moved to the cupboards and got out a glass before making her way to the sink. She told Happy, "seriously, I can't thank you enough for this."

"It's fine. I just hope that it won't leave you stranded again. Sometimes cars are just duds, nothing you can do about that."

"Lets just hope that I don't have one."

She didn't want to just waste money on another vehicle when she was so close to getting that plastic surgery that she had been saving up for years. The one she had should have lasted her a while instead of breaking on her. She could only hope that she wouldn't need to get a new vehicle, or would be stuck with a really old one that could just barely start to try and extend her money. She would even walk to work or move into that neighbourhood if it meant getting that surgery instead of a new car.

Andrea realized that her mind was getting far away and she was getting ahead of herself. Especially since she was on the phone and she knew that Happy was waiting on the other line. She didn't even hear what he said, she was too lost in thought.

"Andrea?" Happy asked over the line.

I shook my head, hoping to somehow shake the thoughts out.

"Sorry…sorry, what did you say?" Andrea asked him.

"So it's okay if I come any time?" Happy asked.

Oh, right.

"Personally, the sooner the better, really. But you can come in as long as it's before 5:30 so I'm in no big rush to work." Andrea answered him.

"Sounds fair. I'll leave shortly, just have to do a few things, fill out some paperwork for the truck and new parts, but I should be there soon." Happy told her.

"Sounds perfect," Andrea said, copying a bit of what he said, whether to be cute or just because it was her personality to be that type of one minute copy-cat before leaving that stolen speech forever.

He chuckled, "'kay. I'll see you sometime soon."

"Great." Andrea said with a smile on her face, "see you then."

He hung up without a goodbye and Andrea wasn't really surprised. She didn't even think about it. She just seemed to know Happy enough that he wasn't the awkward making 'goodbyes' type. He just ended the call when needed without any hassle at the end. Andrea knew that he wasn't being rude about not saying goodbye, it was just that he had nothing left to say. No awkward silence until they make their awkward goodbyes.

Andrea set her phone back on the hook before she moved through her house again, going to her door. She looked back and called to her dog, "Nala! Nala come on, outside!"

The brunette smiled when she heard the dog's paws and nails click against the hardwood floor as she hurried back to the door. Andrea held open the door and watched as her dog came outside, ready to play while her cats were better lounging in the sun.

Andrea shut her door and moved back to her garden, pushing her earphones back in her ears to listen to her audiobook to help her entertain herself as she kneeled down before her garden again. She pulled the weeds with her hands and she made the wholes as well to put in some new flowers. She didn't regularly garden, nor did she have a large one. She just had one along the front of her house and that was it. It had just a coupe of flowers, but nothing too fancy, just something to give the house a little…something something. Andrea lived in one of the lower communities of the city and sometimes looking at her poor house, she wanted to have something different and special. To her, that fell onto flowers.

Andrea had been working quietly when she heard someone come up the road. It was a rather quiet day. Usually she would get noise from her neighbours, form them yelling at each other or their kids to playing loud music. There were also sometimes parties to just her neighbours sitting on their decks or lawns and talking, or just listening to loud music and drinking a beer in their underwear.

Andrea looked over her shoulder and saw her truck with Happy the only one inside. He pulled it into her driveway and she moved to get up from her knees to her feet, Nala already barking loudly, as though trying to scare the intruder and warn Andrea that someone was here. She pulled her phone out and she stopped the voice that was reading to her before taking out her earbuds. She placed the ends in her pocket as well before she walked over to him. By now Happy and turned off the truck and was starting to step out of it.

She stopped in front of him and he looked at her, shutting the door behind him. Nala had ran up to him, still barking, reading to protect Andrea from the intruder. Andrea held Nala's collar. Her dog wasn't very harsh, but she would bite intruders to protect Andrea. She stayed safe and loving to children, but for adults it was another thing. Happy looked at the dog cautiously, not because he was scared but whether or not to brace himself for a bit in his arm. Andrea held her dog and told her, "down Nala. Down." She had trained the dog so that once 'down' came out on a new person, Nala would know that the person was either supposed to be here or was okay with Andrea. The dog still growled lowly before moving to sit down. After that, she stopped and looked up at Andrea, waiting to hear if she did a good job. Andrea smiled down at her and patted her head, letting go of her collar, "good girl."

Happy raised an eyebrow and looked at Andrea before commenting as he held out his hand for the dog to smell, which the little dog did, "scary how that little girly thing can get vicious and then go back."

Andrea giggled and looked down at Nala, who was now sniffing Happy and moving more towards him. She answered, "I know. It scares some people. They think she's the cute cuddle type, which she also is, and then when she attacks or sees someone on the property she can get pretty vicious."

"Good guard dog," Happy commented as he used his other hand to go through his pockets.

Andrea nodded, "she is."

He held out his hand and hanging on his index finger as her keys with a little tag held by white string that had the name Westover written on it in messy writing. Andrea smiled and went to take the keys. Happy moved his hand as well so that they would slip down to his finger and he then held them between his finger and thumb. He placed them in her hands and she took them. She told him, "thank you for bringing it back."

He shook his head, "nothing I would do with it anyway."

She rolled her eyes and narrowed her eyes in an attempt at a joke before she asked him, "are you sure that you don't want anything for fixing my truck."

He shook his head, "No. It's on me. Don't worry about it. I'm glad to help."

Really? Andrea still didn't see him as the 'helping-hand' type.

Andrea gave him a small smile, "still, thank you."

He gave on stiff nod before his eyes went down to her pockets. He saw that she was listening to something as he pulled up and he asked her with interest, nodding towards her pocket that held her phone and earbuds, "what were you listening to?"

"The English Patient by Michael Ondattje. It's an audiobook. It gives me more interest and gets my mind busy more than just listening to music or not listening to anything." Andrea explained to him.

Happy shrugged, "never heard of it."

"Not many people have," Andrea said honestly. "He's Canadian. Not that well known."

He nodded. Happy still never heard of him, but he would try and keep the name and book in mind to look it up later. It would give him a little insight into her. He didn't know if she was a reader or not, but it would give him an idea about the things she was interested in if she liked this certain book.

Happy looked around, putting his hands in his pockets. He looked over her outfit and noticed that it would have been hot, and he knew what for, but he wouldn't say anything. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

Andrea looked over at her truck and asked, "other than the obvious, my truck give you any trouble?"

"Nothing that I could see. Just call me if anything comes up," Happy answered her.

She nodded and looked from her truck to him once more before she gave him a smile. She told him as he moved to place his hands in the pocket of his jeans, "well…thanks again. I mean it. You really didn't have to do it and you saved me a chunk of change and…"

He grinned, like a flower that cracked out of sidewalk that had a crack in it. He shook his head, moving to cross his arms, "don't think anything of it. Really. Just helping a friend."

She stopped talking when he did and listened to him. Afterwards though, she was silent for another reason. Perhaps neither of them knew the significance of what Happy said, and she started to wonder if Happy meant to say that out loud or at all. She wondered if he even meant it. But there was a small silence afterwards and she was sure that Happy was thinking on the subject of his words as well.

Andrea decided to finally break the silence, "so…I'm you're friend."

Happy shrugged, not letting anymore emotion show on his face. He answered her, "yeah, I guess."

She nodded and gave him a small smile. He sighed and looked over his shoulder at her truck. He told her, "I uh…I have stuff to do at the shop so…"

Andrea nodded in agreement before she answered him, "of course! No I won't keep you. I have stuff to do anyway. Hopefully I get planting done and then shower and get ready to work."

He nodded and was already moving to her trunk. He told her as she followed him for a couple of steps, "I put my bike back here. I hope that's okay."

Andrea shrugged, but before she did that he was already moving to bring down the back. She saw his bike laid down on it and watched as he took it out. Although the bike looked heavy, Happy seemed to almost do it naturally, as if it was just a box of books rather than a motorcycle. He set it up right and Andrea crossed her arms as she watched him get on it, grabbing the keys from his back pocket. Happy looked up at her from his bike and told her after a couple of seconds of silence: "I guess I'll see you later?"

She nodded and shrugged, "yeah, I guess."

He nodded once before he turned on the bike. He didn't give her a second glance as he moved out of her driveway. Andrea watched him as he moved down the street. Once he was out of eyesight an she could no longer hear the roar of his bike, she moved to put back in her earphones and work on her garden.

Truth be told, she didn't know when she would see him again. Sure, he fixed her truck and she should somewhat try to keep thanking him for that. Or at least talk to him. And for whatever reason, she liked talking to him, even if he didn't talk much. But she didn't really talk much either. But his presence was something somewhat comforting, somewhat easy.

Which was why that night once she was done work, she went past the diner slowly. It was about one-thirty in the morning by the time that she went past. It was dark and she was tired, but she wanted to see if he was there. So when she was going past, she saw his bike in the parking lot. Andrea smiled a bit and signalled before moving into the parking lot. She parked a couple of spots away from Happy before grabbing her purse and a word find before going in, a small, natural smile on her face. When Happy spotted her, he gave her a nod and moved to look at the word find as soon as she put it down on the table.


End file.
